Various methods have been developed to analyze nucleic acid molecules present in experimental or diagnostic samples. Many of these techniques are assays wherein the sample is placed in contact with a solid support. The solid support contains nucleic acid molecules which have been immobilized by covalent or noncovalent attachment. Immobilization of a nucleic acid molecule to a spatially defined position on a solid support can be used in many ways. These uses include: hybridization assays which are able to identify an individual nucleic acid of interest present in an experimental or diagnostic sample containing multiple unique nucleic acids (Southern, Trends in Genetics 12:110-115 (1996)); hybridization assays which are able to identify genes which have a mutation such that the gene present in the experimental or diagnostic sample differs from that of the wild-type gene (Southern, WO 89/10977 (1989)); and in polymerase extension assays where the immobilized nucleic acids serve as primers for DNA synthesis by a DNA polymerase enzyme following hybridization to complementary target nucleic acids that may be present in the sample (Shumaker et al., Hum. Mut. 7:346-354 (1996); Syvanen et al., Am. J. Hum. Genet. 52:46-59 (1993)).
Presently, there are a number of known methods for covalently coupling a nucleic acid to a solid support for use in an experimental or diagnostic assay . These can be divided into two categories: 1) those in which preformed nucleic acids are coupled to the support; and 2) those in which the nucleic acids are synthesized in situ on the support.
In the first approach, the nucleic acids are deposited on the support either by hand or by automated liquid handling equipment (Lamture et al., Nucleic Acids Research 22:2121-2125 (1994); Yershov et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:4913-4918 (1996)). To effect covalent attachment of the nucleic acids to the support, either the support, the nucleic acids, or both, are chemically activated prior to deposition. Alternatively, the nucleic acids can be deposited on the support and nonspecifically immobilized by physical means such as heat or irradiation with ultraviolet light (Life Science Research Product Catalog, BioRad Laboratories, Richmond, Calif., pg.269-273 (1996); Meinkoth and Wahl, Analytical Biochemistry 138:267-284 (1984)). In general, chemically mediated coupling is preferred since specific, well defined attachments can be accomplished, thereby minimizing the risk of unwanted artifacts from the immobilization process.
In the second approach, oligonucleotides are synthesized directly on the support using chemical methods based on those used for solid phase nucleic acid synthesis (Southern et al., Nucleic Acids Research 22:1368-1373 (1994)). Recently, specialized apparatus and photolithographic methods have been introduced which allow the synthesis of many different oligonucleotides at discrete, well-defined positions on planar glass or silica supports (Pease et al., Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 91:5022-5026 (1994)). In general, these methods are most useful for applications which require many hundreds or thousands of different immobilized nucleic acids, such as sequencing by hybridization.
Yet another method presently in use to couple a nucleic acid molecule to a solid support involves the formation of an electroconducting conjugated polymerized layer (Livache et al., Nucleic Acids Research 22:2915-2921 (1994)). This polymerized layer is formed by copolymerization of a mixture containing pyrrole monomers and oligonucleotides covalently linked to a pyrrole monomer. The copolymerization reaction initiates following application of an electrical charge through the electrode which has been placed into the mixture containing the copolymerizable components. The dimensions of the polymerized layer which coats the surface of the electrode can be varied by adjusting the surface area of the electrode which is placed into the mixture.
Each of the methods disclosed above have specific limitations. For instance, the polymerized layer which coats the surface of an electrode can not be formed on a solid support which is not able to transmit an electrical charge into the mixture containing the copolymerizable monomer units. Most of the other disclosed methods are also limited to solid supports of a particular type. In addition, several of these methods require special types of equipment, and involve a degree of technical difficulty which may make it difficult to covalently link a nucleic acid molecule to a solid support in a reproducible manner.